Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

I've had AT&T Uverse since January and it hasn't been without problems. I am using the Motorola NVG510. I was experiencing the DNS issues described in many, many other threads. I didn't know they were DNS issues, and calling AT&T Technical support was no use. I spoke with 3 or 4 2nd level reps, sometimes they wanted to troubleshoot my browers (despite it occuring on 5 different computers all using different major browsers, and that the issue does not occur when I tether with my cell phone). They replaced the modem, with another NVG510. Etc, etc. Ok, so images didn't always load, I had resigned myself to not dealing with Tech Support any more because they don't know what the issue was.

About a month or so ago the problem changed. At around 9:50pm every day, I was getting disconnected to the internet. When I logged into the NVG510 diagnostic panel and run Full Diagnostic, I see that everythign but the Ethernet is offline. If I keep refreshing the button, I can watch the modem come back online, it takes about 30-60 seconds, the same as if I had hard booted the modem. Anyway, it would procede to do this about hourly, which was a hassle but I guess I could deal with it.

About last Thursday, this changed. It seems to be starting within 5 mintues of 9:30pm EDT. Then it procedes to reboot like this every 5-10 minutes all night. FInally I get wise enough to peek into the log files. Seeing this particular error after it reboots everytime:

I've tried all the suggestions in the various threads about using Google's DNS servers. I connected my Netgear WNR2000v3, setup the passthrough mode, plugged in the Google DNS servers. Tried using it with IPv4 and IPv6. Nothing, absolutely nothing changes. Works fine during the day, fails 9:30pm to 6:00am. Disconnected that, did a reset on the modem and changed the DNS on my computer, same results. Works fine during the day, fails 9:30pm to 6:00am. Latency is fine at around 25ms average all hours of the day, even during the rebooting. Bandwidth performs as expected, pushing a full 6mb (size of my package).

Tech came out, said it rebooted like that 48 times one night. He was supposed to send someone out to test the lines outside, but I haven't heard anything back. I feel like the issues is one of these DNS problems and the problem is the NVG510 resetting too easily (I feel if I could turn that function off, we'd be golden). I managed to talk to a tech at 2nd level support on Saturday (after raising holy heck with customer service) who was actually decent. He told me that not enough reports come in with these problems and that a BIOS fix isn't on the way.

So what can I do? One of the AT&T customer support people basically said "Well, you're the 1% of people who have problems we don't know how to fix and it isn't cost effective to focus on those problems". That isn't entirely verbatum, but it is close. I feel like this should be fixable. What changes between 9:30pm and 6:00am on AT&T's network? This exact pattern has been occuring for approximately a month. I am in Detroit, Michigan, in the event that anyone local is experiencing something similar, could be a local server problem?

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

It's hard to diagnose an issue with the NVG because it's an ADSL2+ modem vs. the VDSL2 modems most of us have (and that Joe's UVREALTIME tool supports).

From reading your story, I'm thinking that you don't have a DNS problem, you have a full signal problem... Your modem is losing connection with the device in the CO it's trying to talk to. It's probably happening at night due to changing sources of interference (i.e. a nearby streetlight coming on and causing RF interference), or temperature based changes in your pair somewhere along the line between your house and the CO (i.e. there could be a connection in a pedestal that connects when the wire and metal clips expand from the sunlight and become "iffy" when they cool when the sun goes down).

If they can't figure this out from the modem's own diagnostics, then they need to be there when the problem exists. I'm not sure how you get that to happen. Or, you could get lucky and they could see that your connection is marginal during the day time and they can fix it well enough to overcome the time-of-day-based issue (depending on what that issue actually is).

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

My only problem with that conclusion is that my speed tests and latency tests are amazing. I'm pulling full 6mb bandwidth on Speedtests and at a near 20ms latency during these times. And the techs they sent out have tested the lines. Another detail I left out is that this started when they switched me from IPv4 to IPv6.

It is somewhat possible you're right, but it seems unlikely. Going to watch the lights around here and see if there is a correlation.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

It definitely sounds to be a problem with the signal. It may need to be grounded given the time frame you mentioned the occurrences. If you are connected to a surge protector try connecting the modem's power cable directly into the wall to test if there is a shortage with the surge protector. If you are still experiencing problems after that please PM Alex . He's a Community Manager here and he can get this to the right group to help.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

I have the exact same same issue. I have had technicians look at wiring inside and out, replaced modems, but it has become completely unusable.

I did notice, that https connections still work when this occurs. Last night, while I was fighting this, I connected to my corporate VPN and was able to surf uninterrupted for over an hour before I went to sleep. So during this time, while http traffic contiinued to bounce up and down, my VPN connection stayed connected.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am

dt10111 wrote:

I've had AT&T Uverse since January and it hasn't been without problems. I am using the Motorola NVG510. I was experiencing the DNS issues described in many, many other threads. I didn't know they were DNS issues, and calling AT&T Technical support was no use. I spoke with 3 or 4 2nd level reps, sometimes they wanted to troubleshoot my browers (despite it occuring on 5 different computers all using different major browsers, and that the issue does not occur when I tether with my cell phone). They replaced the modem, with another NVG510. Etc, etc. Ok, so images didn't always load, I had resigned myself to not dealing with Tech Support any more because they don't know what the issue was.

About a month or so ago the problem changed. At around 9:50pm every day, I was getting disconnected to the internet. When I logged into the NVG510 diagnostic panel and run Full Diagnostic, I see that everythign but the Ethernet is offline. If I keep refreshing the button, I can watch the modem come back online, it takes about 30-60 seconds, the same as if I had hard booted the modem. Anyway, it would procede to do this about hourly, which was a hassle but I guess I could deal with it.

About last Thursday, this changed. It seems to be starting within 5 mintues of 9:30pm EDT. Then it procedes to reboot like this every 5-10 minutes all night. FInally I get wise enough to peek into the log files. Seeing this particular error after it reboots everytime:

I've tried all the suggestions in the various threads about using Google's DNS servers. I connected my Netgear WNR2000v3, setup the passthrough mode, plugged in the Google DNS servers. Tried using it with IPv4 and IPv6. Nothing, absolutely nothing changes. Works fine during the day, fails 9:30pm to 6:00am. Disconnected that, did a reset on the modem and changed the DNS on my computer, same results. Works fine during the day, fails 9:30pm to 6:00am. Latency is fine at around 25ms average all hours of the day, even during the rebooting. Bandwidth performs as expected, pushing a full 6mb (size of my package).

Tech came out, said it rebooted like that 48 times one night. He was supposed to send someone out to test the lines outside, but I haven't heard anything back. I feel like the issues is one of these DNS problems and the problem is the NVG510 resetting too easily (I feel if I could turn that function off, we'd be golden). I managed to talk to a tech at 2nd level support on Saturday (after raising holy heck with customer service) who was actually decent. He told me that not enough reports come in with these problems and that a BIOS fix isn't on the way.

So what can I do? One of the AT&T customer support people basically said "Well, you're the 1% of people who have problems we don't know how to fix and it isn't cost effective to focus on those problems". That isn't entirely verbatum, but it is close. I feel like this should be fixable. What changes between 9:30pm and 6:00am on AT&T's network? This exact pattern has been occuring for approximately a month. I am in Detroit, Michigan, in the event that anyone local is experiencing something similar, could be a local server problem?

Any insight anyone can provide would be useful. Thanks!

Look in your house, and maybe even the neighbor's house (back yard, garage) that comes on about the times your service dies. Also look for street lights, pumps, timers, aquarium lights / heaters, thermostats, radio interference, touch lamps, dusk/dawn sensors ... your problems sound like a classic noise problem; either radiated noise (through the air, like sparkplug noise) or through the powerline (from bad connections, arcing, noisy brushes (which also radiate) ... or (the newest villan) CFL bulbs (the curley bulbs). Some CFLs have destroyed service for two houses on either side of the offending lamp.

If you have an AM radio available, try tuning it between stations and see if you can hear any interference. If so, so can steer the radio around and locate the primary source.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am (Same Problem)

I have the same exact issue except mine starts around midnight and stops about 7am. I have 3 other uverse bissiness connections and this is the only one doing this. I compared the stats from all the other modems and the only difference i can find is that the lLine Attenuation on this modem is 42.5dB. the otheres are 13.5dB and 29dB. The only other thing different on this connection would be that it says it is "Interleaved". The other connections all show "FAST" instead of "Interleaved". AT&T is sending out a tech tomorrow to check the lines. My log shows 49 reboots in a 24hr period.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am (Same Problem)

wiohio wrote:

I have the same exact issue except mine starts around midnight and stops about 7am. I have 3 other uverse bissiness connections and this is the only one doing this. I compared the stats from all the other modems and the only difference i can find is that the lLine Attenuation on this modem is 42.5dB. the otheres are 13.5dB and 29dB. The only other thing different on this connection would be that it says it is "Interleaved". The other connections all show "FAST" instead of "Interleaved". AT&T is sending out a tech tomorrow to check the lines. My log shows 49 reboots in a 24hr period.

That would be the usual service window for intrusive fixes / patches / replacements / reboots (usually ~2am-5am local time) on teh infrastructure equipment (like board swaps at the VRAD, for example).

IF it's been going on for a long time, or persists, then there is almost always some external interference ... something int he home, something in a neighbor's home (like CFL bulbs in a porch light on a timer), something out on the street (streetlights, day/night sensor stuff).

Fire up an AM radio when the services drops and tune it between stations ... you'll often hear the interference and can use the radio to track it down.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am (Same Problem)

Well I worked with the AT&T tech and have now got the disconnects down to just one or two in a 24hour period. It was/is a noise issue! I bonded the ground on the buried cable that comes up the hill into the equipment shack at our location. The AT&T tech found that when the company came to trench in the new buried cable from our building to the ped that the ground was not bonded at each end. So he bonded the phone interface and grounded it at the ped and grounded the line leaving the ped and going up the hill to the equipment shack. Since we had 8inchs of snow he could not drive up to our equipment shack so I did that part. As soon as he grounded the new buried line and called back to the "War Room" to have it tested they said the noise was gone. At that point the SNR went down to 2.8 when it had been 11.5 and after i bonded it at the shack it went down to .2 Now though the noise has came back some and is back up to 13.6 but I am not seeing all the disconnects like I was.**Any idea why the noise would be coming back? This is a dry loop with no phone and the electric runs from the meter to our building only and all that runs on it is battery back up, server, switch, router, and 24volt power injectors.

Re: Disconnects daily, between 9:30pm and 6am (Same Problem)

This connection is not in a house, It is a business connection. When the AT&T lines terminate into our building the only thnig connected to the wires is a single wall jack to connect the modem to (no filters installed because we have no phone at this location). The modem is in our rack only 3 feet from the wall jack. BUT I do have the modem sitting on the top of a 1500va battery backup that is in the rack. I am going to try moving the modem out of the rack to be sure it is not getting interference from something in the rack.

Also, All of our equipment is connected with sheilded cat5e that has a static drain wire in it also.